The Final End
by Burr
Summary: Honor Masters is the most famous demon hunter in the realm. Together with the vampire prince Alexander, she hunts the Blood Demon King, Rinzer. Will she succeed and bring on a golden age? Or will she fail and unleash the Bane of Life?
1. Chapter 1

A young woman stepped out of the bathroom attached to her room. She had spent several hours getting cleaned up for her trip to the Matra-Ashnye, the first and largest temple of the goddess of life, love and light. She wore her favorite gown, a plain but elegant gray velvet masterpiece that outlined her hourglass form well and matched the gray of her eyes. She had tried in vain to do something elegant with her wild red curls which were currently winning the battle with the gray ribbon she had tried to tie them back with. She hadn't even bothered with make up. She would only have made a fool of herself if she had.

She sat in a chair before the vanity. She put on her freshly polished boots. The spiked heel gave her a good three inches, almost making her average height. Once the ankle boots were zipped she sat up and looked in the mirror. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw a pair of green-gold eyes studying her.

"Blast it, Alexander!" she yelled as she threw her favorite brush at the man standing in the shadows by her bed. "What have I told you about sneaking into my room?! I should gut you for this!"

Alexander chuckled as he circled the bed. He twirled her brush expertly with the long, thin fingers of his left hand. He wore what he normally wore; loose white dress shirt carefully tucked into black trousers and always polished black boots that covered his chafes. His long black hair was as straight as hers was curly and it stayed in the tie that held it at his nape. He was pale, but she thought he looked paler tonight than normal.

"But, Honor, my love," he said with his most dashing smile, one that could make most young maids swoon, "if I did I would never have seen you in such a wonderful dress! I knew you had a lovely figure. Those black robes you love so hide a treasure."

Honor gaped wordlessly at him, then spun to grab the dagger she had put in one of the vanity drawers. Finding it empty, she glared at her tall companion.

"You sneak! What did you do with my dagger?"

Alexander pointed with her brush to the dresser on the other side of the room. Her horde of knifes and daggers, twenty-three in all, were neatly stocked on it. Her sythe, a black wooden staff with an opal embedded in the top and a wickedly curved silver blade was leaning against the wall next to the dresser.

"My dear, you know if you tried to attack me I would have to restrain you." His grin was devilish. "Who knows what kind of interesting things could happen if I had to restrain you."

Honor felt her cheeks warm and sat in the chair again. She kept her back to him, as she looked for one of her other brushes.

She felt a light tug on her head and she looked up as Alexander placed her gray ribbon on the tabletop in front of her. She watched as he skillfully brushed and parted her wild hair. In ten minutes he was done.

"Oh, Alexander, how did you do that?" Honor asked in awe. Her wild mane had been tamed into a half-ponytail that looked elegant and casual at the same time. A few bits of short curls were allowed to hang free from the rest of the bound hair on top of her head and framed her face.

Alexander's reflection smiled at her. He set the brush down and she let his hands settle on her shoulders. "My younger sister Isabella had wild hair like yours. It was white, but just as unruly. Three of my older sisters decided to come up with a method to teach even the most incapable to tame wild locks. I was the first test audience." His smile saddened. "Being the only son in a family with fifteen children was strange at times."

Honor rouse and hugged her friend. She could count on one hand how many times the last member of the vampire royal family spoke of the loved ones he had lost. The fact that he spoke of them at all proved how close he was to her.

Sometimes Honor would admit to loving Alexander.

"My dear one," he whispered as his arms tightened. He lifted her off the ground enough to bury his face in her neck without bending over," you smell so delicious." She felt his fangs lightly scrap against the tender skin on her neck. "Simply mouth watering."

Most times Honor would admit to wanting to murder Alexander.

Her creative threat, however, was never spoken. They were interrupted by a short, round, and balding man who busted into the room red-faced and frantic.

"Lady Honor," he panted. Alexander released her and they both grabbed his arms before he fell over.

"Timothy!" Honor said, surprised. The pair half-carried, half-dragged the old man to the chair before the vanity. "Timothy, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be with Grace."

"Milady," he said as he grabbed her arm. "Lady Grace has gone missing!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Now, let me get this straight," said Alexander as he watched Honor place her horde of weapons on her person. "You were going to meet your younger sister, Grace, tonight. You believe she has information about Rinzer, the Demon Lord who we are currently trying to take out."

Honor adjusted her heavy belt. It was leaden with throwing knifes, daggers and a few small magical items. Weapons were also placed in pouches and on straps on her arms and legs. She had changed out of her gray gown and was wearing an outfit much like Alexander's except her shirt was black and her boots had already lost their shine. She turned to her bed to get the black robe she had laid there. Alexander held it and from his expression Honor knew he wouldn't give it to her unless she answered his questions.

"Yes," she answered with a nod. Knowing his next query, she said, "My sister has a Lis who can find out just about anything."

"I know what a Lis is, love," the vampire said crossly. "I have been around far longer than you have. I also know that, if your sister has a Lis, it means that your little sis is a Matron of Light, second only to the Earthly Mother of Light and the Light Goddess herself."

Honor nodded. She stood just out of arm's length from him, but it wouldn't help her if he really wanted to grab her. Alexander moved faster than human, demon, and immortal eyes could see. He was strong enough to throw a carriage-sized boulder through two solid brick walls and not breath heavily from the exercise. Most times he was so silly and goofy she forgot how dangerous he could be. His stern expression reminded her.

"My younger siblings and I are all top of our chosen fields," she explained. "We never do anything halfway."

"Younger siblings?" Alexander asked, raising an eyebrow. "How many siblings do you have, Honor dear?"

She poked at the carpet with her toe. She couldn't look him in the eye while she said softly, "There's nine of us, including me."

She waited for him to yell at her. She had, after all, practically lied to him. After she had first met him in an ally where she was cornered by fire demons, he took her out to dinner, tricked her into going to a fancy restaurant. Her robe had been stained with blood during the short fight with the demons, after all, and she had to take it off, something that bugged her to no end. So, when he needled her about her past, she had told him only half-truths, leaving out the fact that she was the oldest of the Nine Masters, a group of siblings prophesied to change the world. Alexander had told her before that he hated liars above all other kinds of people because it was because of a liar that his family had been murdered.

Slim, slightly cool fingers gently tilted her face up. Her green gaze was caught by his golden-tented eyes.

"One day, my love, you will trust me completely and fully," he whispered calmly, his voice and face as gentle as his fingers on her chin, "but we do not have the time to argue. Your sister is in danger and we cannot leave the priestess Masters captured, now, can we?"

Honor smiled brightly at her vampire friend. He smiled back, kissed the end of her nose, and skillfully spun her into her robe. She strapped her scythe to her back and hopped onto Alexander's back. She wrapped her arms tightly around his nick and she managed to squeeze her eyes shut just as the vampire used his inhuman speed to get them out in the streets unnoticed.


	3. Chapter 3

Honor and Alexander arrived at the Matra-Ashnye at about the same time Honor had arranged to visit her sister, Grace. It had taken the vampire fifteen minutes to cover three hours of horseback ridding and he was barely winded. Outside the large, castle-like building everything was calm and quiet.

Honor slid off Alexander's back and drew her scythe. It was too quiet. They were outside the temple that was open twenty-four hours a day and in the forest outside of Brisk, a small town in the country on the High Road between the capital and the seaports. The lights should have shone through the tall windows and the sounds of night creatures stirring should have filled the air.

Instead, the windows were dark and the forest was quiet. The silence bore down on the pair. They knew what had happened here without having to go inside. They also knew that evil lingered still.

Honor stroked the flat of her scythe's blade with two fingers of her right hand. The silver blade, which had shined in the full moon light before she had worked her magic on it, simply disappeared. Honor did the same to the bright opal set in the dark wooden staff. It, too, seemed to vanish. Alexander didn't even draw his twin swords. He could have them in his hands in half a second at most.

The two crouched together in the underbrush next to the lane leading to the front steps of the church. They were so close together that a passerby may have thought they were embracing. Alexander may have been able to hear Honor when she whispered half a mile away, but she did not have his hearing.

"What do you hear?" she whispered. Her voice was soft enough that it didn't disturb the quiet.

"There are seven demons in the chapel. Four fire demons, two air demons and an earth demon. They are arguing with each other over the location of the missing Master Priestess and the five nuns who live in the church." Alexander smiled. "It seems they gave the demons the slip before they showed up."

"Grace is smart. Oh course, it could be her luck. I bet she took every nun living here to help her summon her Lis."

"They think they went to gather herbs." The vampire's head tipped to one side. "It also seems that these demons are all members of the Zerdin."

Honor's grin was devilish. "Seven members of the most elite demonic group are here? Right in the palm of my hand sit seven of Rinzer's pets? Yummy. We should capture a couple of them. Get some extra information for an inside source."

"You are so devious," he said as he pulled her a little closer. "I'll go in first, then. I'll distract them so you can work your magic in peace."

"Just what I was thinking." She kissed Alexander lightly on the cheek. Before each fight the two of them dropped their acts and just behaved as normal people would when around their soul mate. Not that Honor would admit to being Alexander's soul mate. "I need five minutes. Can you handle that?"

Alexander smiled at her teasing. "Oh course, my dear. I can handle it easily."

The two lingered for another moment, then rose to do their bloody work.


	4. Chapter 4

Alexander walked up the stairs of the church at a normal human speed. The hood of his gray cloak was thrown back and the night breeze ruffled his smooth hair. Honor stayed where she was, waiting for the Zerdin demons to focus completely on her friend.

The vampire easily pushed the heavy oak double door open. He calmly entered the seemingly empty chapel. The air here felt heavy to him as it wouldn't to a human. The other lesser demons felt it and felt the power of a dormant monster.

An air demon, new to the Zerdin, flew to greet Alexander. Air demons were not very bright, but with their wings they were useful creatures to have around. This one had chosen to look like a little girl with curly blond hair and large, blue wings. Her round face was filled with adoration as she stared up at Alexander.

"Oh, Master!" she squeaked in delight. "I can't believe you came, Master! This is so- Master, were did your scar go?"

Alexander knelt in front of the small demon. When his eyes were level with hers, he said, "I am not your master."

As he straightened his curved, twin blades appeared in his hands. The little air demon fell to the floor in pieces. The other six demons attacked at once.

Honor was already done casting her spell. The words had been said and the correct liquid mixture had been rubbed on the blade of her scythe. She had to wait for the spell to take, however.

So she watched Alexander play with the demons. He was easily fighting off all six of his attackers. A couple were already heavily wounded. She watched his silver blades flash, his cloak and hair floating around him, his usually smiling face grim. She was filled with awe at his powers, pride in his abilities, and the knowledge that he was hers.

She shook her head sharply to get rid of that thought. She told herself once again that Alexander was _not_ hers. She focused again on her spell. Light footsteps made her look behind her.

A tall, slender, willowy woman was walking up to her. Her hair was short, spiky and deep purple. Her eyes were large and the same shade. On her golden-skinned forehead was the Mark of Ashnye, four red circles with short tails chasing each other in a circle. Her dress was tight, short and the same color red as the Mark. A large red belt was around her hips and the huge gold buckle held the Mark. Long, white, billowing sleeves that covered her arms were decorated with red trim and gold phoenix embroidery. White stockings stopped just short of the hem of her dress and her red and gold trimmed white boots came up to mid-thigh.

Walking with her was a large man who seemed to glow. His hair was white-blond, his eyes pure gold, and his skin sparkling and pale. He only wore loose black trousers.

The woman smiled warmly and picked up her pace.

"Grace?" Honor asked. "When did you get that red thing on your forehead?"

Grace hugged her older sister tightly. "Oh, Honor, it is so nice to see you! It has been far too long." She stepped back and looked over her shoulder at the bright man accompanying her. "This is my Lis, Arthur."

Honor inclined her head toward him. She was about to introduce herself when she heard a sharp cry of pain. Turning, she saw the demons moving slower, as if Grace and Arthur's presents had a profound affect on them.

Alexander knelt on the ground. The demons were not attaching now, the were too busy trying to catch their breath. All were leaden with cuts. Most would bleed to death in an hour or so.

As Honor watched Alexander fell forward, unconscious. The other demons saw this and moved as fast as they could to attack.

"Alexander!"


	5. Chapter 5

Honor was up the steps as fast as her human legs could take her. She swung her scythe and released her spell, chaining two fire demon and the earth demon to the far wall. One of the remaining fire demons started to move toward her.

The demons had two things working against them. First off, the presence of the Lis and the priestess was weighting them down. Demons, those who have embraced the ways of evil, could not stand in the present of Ashnye, the Great Goddess, and all that was close to her, like her churches and priestesses. The second and most important factor contributing to their death was Honor's wrath. The phrase "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" was very true in her case.

Honor could never move as fast as Alexander, but by human standards she was very quick. She easily cut off the arms and head of the demon in the doorway. The opal flared to life in tones of angry red. A swing of her scythe sent a wave of bright flames into the chapel, instantly burning the demons not bound to ash.

Honor covered the space between herself and Alexander and knelt beside him. She gently turned him onto his back and checked his breathing and pulse. After a moment she sighed in relief. Although slow, his heart still beat and his breathing was shallow but steady. She checked him for injuries next, but found none.

The young woman pulled the vampire close to her. A chill ran down her spine as she thought of how close she had come to losing him. He was rude, annoying and perverted, but she loved him all the same. Maybe she would give him a kiss when he woke up.

"Honor, maybe you shouldn't hold him so tightly. I don't think he can breath."

Honor listened to her sister and loosened her hold, but she refused to let go. Grace was about to kneel next to her sister when her Lis stopped her by putting a hand on her arm.

"No, Grace," he said. His voice was like bird song and bells. Honor was surprised that such a beautiful voice belonged to a man. "We shouldn't be that close. Our present will only hurt him further."

Grace's face showed her shock. Her eyes snapped from Arthur's face to Honor's. "What the hell is he? You're dating a demon!"

"I am not dating anyone!" Honor swiftly denied. "Alexander is a vampire, duh, I already told you that."

"You told me that he was a pig because he looked up your skirt," Grace countered. "You said nothing about him being a vampire."

"Well, it shouldn't matter! He isn't evil!" Honor cried.

"Vampires are different," Arthur said, staying well back from Honor and Alexander. "They are very strange creatures. So much evil so carefully controlled."

"Evil?" Unconsciously Honor held Alexander closer. "What do you mean?"

"Honey, you don't know?" asked Grace. "Vampires are blood demons with morals."

Honor looked down at Alexander's handsome face. He was definitely paler than normal, his skin seemed stretched over his cheek bones. His cheeks and jaw were a little rough from not shaving for a couple days. She couldn't see him with deathly white, translucent skin. She couldn't see him with eyes and hair the color of fresh blood. She couldn't see him being a blood demon, but at the same time she could. It made sense. No wonder demons left the vampire race alone. The only thing that could kill or even really hurt a blood demon was another blood demon.

Honor realized that it didn't matter that Alexander was a monster. He was charming, sweet and romantic when he wanted to be. Alexander was Alexander. He might be evil, but he choose to be good and that was all that mattered to her.


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur brought a horse from the stable around to the front of the chapel from the stable in the back. While Grace was working some kind of magic on it the nuns who lived there and a trio of merchants on their way to the port cities came out of their hiding place in the forest. Grace assured them that their horse would be return to them shortly.

"Now, dear, I didn't learn much," Grace explained as she helped get Alexander onto the horse behind Honor. "But what I do know is very interesting. Apparently Rinzer is a blood demon with four long scars on his face and he is somehow connected to the murder of the vampire royal family. In the battle to come between you and Rinzer, Alexander and Rinzer's pasts will be deciding factors. I think Alexander may know more about Rinzer than Arthur or I could ever learn. You need to go back before you can go forward."

"Thank you, Grace," Honor said with a smile. "I really appreciate your help and Arthur's."

"It is no problem," Grace assured her.

"Alexander will be hungry when he wakes," Arthur informed her. "It would be best if you feed him. He may not be in a state to be gentle with a stranger."

Honor's face wrinkled in disdain she didn't really feel. Alexander had had to feed from her before and Honor learned, much to her surprise, that it was not as bad as she had thought. Not that she would admit that to her talkative younger sister.

"Anything else before I leave?" the demon hunter asked.

"Yup, don't forget about Serenity's wedding! You've got three weeks to go visit Rinzer's past and get home." Grace hooked her arm in Arthur's. "Bye, sis. Good luck with your beau."

Honor ignored her and set of. Grace's spell made the horse move half as fast as a vampire, but the creature didn't grow tired at all. She smiled in the wind and was glad to be alive.

Alexander's arms tightening around her waist told her he had awoken.

"Good evening," Honor said brightly. "Have a good nap?"

Alexander's laugh rumbled in his chest, vibrating against her back. One of his hands moved to her jaw and tipped her head to the side.

"I had a lovely nap, love," he said as he kissed her neck. "I find myself quite a bit hungrier than earlier. Would you be so kind as to feed me, love?"

Honor laughed at his antics, glad that he was back to normal. "Go ahead, if it will shut you up."

Alexander chuckled. He held his beloved tenderly as he sank his fangs into her soft throat.


End file.
